WATCH: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses new allegation that he wore blackface

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for appearing in blackface when he was younger. A day earlier, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, Trudeau had apologized for wearing brownface in a photo from 2001 of him at an "Arabian Nights"-themed party. At the time, Trudeau implied there were two incidents when he darkened his face. A third incident surfaced Thursday, Sep. 19, subjecting Trudeau to renewed scrutiny. “Darkening your face, regardless of the context or circumstance, is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface. I should have understood that then, and I never should have done it,” Trudeau said at a news conference. Trudeau said he did not want to specify exactly how many times he had darkened his face because he did not recall the third incident. The prime minister said he recognized his privilege and asked for forgiveness, but said he did not have plans to resign. The scrutiny over the racist actions comes in the midst of his re-election campaign.

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app

Find more from PBS NewsHour at

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Snapchat: @pbsnews

Subscribe:

PBS NewsHour podcasts

Newsletters